Athletic garment



Oct. 20, 1942.

'w. L. cl-nLps 2,299,681

ATHLETIC GARMENT Filed May 9, 1940 Patented Oct. 20, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ATHLETIC GARMENT Wilfred L. Childs, Winnetka, 111.

Application May 9, 1940, Serial No. 334,101

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a new and improved athletic garment and more particularly to a garment having a distinguishing or identifying element which may be exposed or covered as desired.

The present garment is designed particularly for wear in connection with temporary grouping of persons for contests involving two opposing teams. With permanently organized teams in competitive sports it is customary to provide uniforms having distinctive features of elements to identify the players by teams. This is particularly important in sports involving rapid action, with the opposing teams mingled in the same area. To properly play such games it is necessary for a player to be able to instantly identify players as to whether they are members of his own or of the opposing team.

In gymnasiums and on playgrounds and athletic fields, teams are organized on a temporary basis, the membership of a team changing from time to time or from day to day. Different teams may be selected during each gymnasium or play period. With sports of this character it is customary to require uniform gymnasium or play suits for all participants, which renders it impracticable to identify members of teams having changing personnel, without some identifying mean or insignia.

In some cases separate sashes have been used to designate one team, but these are difficult to keep in position and become misplaced. They also become soiled, as do separate distinctive shirts where these are provided, requiring constant laundering if sanitary standards are maintained.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a garment for use in athletic sports or team contests.

It is a further object to provide a garment of this character having a distinctive identifying means which may be quickly exposed or concealed when the garment is worn.

It is also an object to provide such means integrally united with the garment and uniformly adjustable.

It is another object to provide means of this character which is simple and eflicient in design and construction and adapted for commercial production and use.

Other and further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawing, in which-- Figure 1 is a front view of a garment with the distinctive identifying means concealed;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the identifying means exposed; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section on an enlarged scale taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

In the drawing, the invention has been shown as applied to a pair of athletic shorts, but it will be understood that the invention is not so limited but may be applied to any garment of any size or length and designed to be worn by either sex while playing games or engaged in any form of athletics. The specific construction shown comprises a pair of shorts I I having an inturned waist band 12 enclosing a usual type of elastic or drawstring shown at l3. A band 14 of material of contrasting color is shown as sewn in place at [5 along the lower edge of the waist band and adapted to extend down within the garment to be entirely concealed in use, as shown in Figure 1. The contrasting band I4 is shown as provided with a hemmed lower edge IS. The construction of the shorts otherwise may be of any usual design and need not be further described. As will be apparent, the contrasting band may be similarly applied to other types, of garments.

When it is desired to expose the band l4, it is merely drawn upwardly above the body of the arment and folded down to the outer position a shown in Figure 2. In order that the band may serve as an instant means of identification the body of the garment may be formed of a darker color and the band of a contrasting lighter color.

It will be apparent that the garment is adapted for universal use, with the contrasting band either concealed or exposed. When teams are chosen for any contest it is only necessary to notify one team to wear its bands on the outside and to have the other team conceal their bands. Each member of the play group or gymnasium class is provided thus with instantly available identifying means as part of their regular exercise garments. It is not necessary to provide separate identifying means to be distributed and collected. Each person wears only his own garments and the identifying band is laundered with the garment of which it forms a part.

While I have shown one preferred form of construction applied to one type of garment, this is to be understood to be illustrative only, as I contemplate such changes and modifications as come within the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In athletic apparel, in combination, a body encircling garment having a waist line at its upper edge and readily changeable identifying means secured to the inner side of the upper edge of said garment so as to be normally entirely concealed, the material of said identifying means having an appearance contrasting with the appearance of the material of said garment, said identifying means being sufficiently narrow so that it can be turned down Within said garment without interfering with the comfort of the Wearer of said garment, said identifying means being adapted to be disposed in display position outwardly of said garment when said garment is being Worn, said identifying means extending along both back and front portions of the garment.

VVILFRED L. CHILDS. 

